It is a generally accepted concept that a good league will not have a Week 17 fantasy football championship game. I question this commonly accepted notion? It is akin to stating that life can only exist in the presence of water and oxygen just because that is all what we experience and know (okay I am extrapolating to extremes). Here is my argument to why this idea is not in line with the overall tenet of the game.

Fantasy football by definition is a mixture of good drafting, intelligent in season free agent pickups and ultimately luck. For a knowledgeable owner, a typical fantasy football team would be a good amalgam of players from multiple teams. Seldom does a FF team succeed having 3 or 4 skill players from the same team. In addition, every season is accompanied with an assortment of injuries to skill players that every team has to cope with. I do not see anyone complaining about injuries killing their roster and hence the team gives up. Success ultimately comes when the team can overcome injuries by having good backups and free agency moves. If a team has such a diverse and successful setup, a league championship on week 17 is not going to upset the applecart. Not every player is going to sit down for the final week. At the most, the team has to account for 3 to 4 players during the final week. It should be very similar to accounting for injuries or for nut heads like Brandon Marshall being banished to the bench. In addition, you would have at the most 2-4 teams, involved in scrouging for left over players. There are always hidden gems available during the final week of the season and it is identifying these gems that requires knowledge and skill. In fact, this is more conducive to helping the better player win the championship rather than a week 16 finale where you are depending on your studs to pull it off. Is that not better overall or should we still be sticking with our 1 dimensional thinking???????

The outpouring of emotion is strong and biased. There is no middle ground or compromise. Did Indy err by sitting down its starters? Did Indy err by spitting in the face of history? What is the right answer here??

One side of the argument is obviously on how Indy erred in their judgement. Being in the hunt and going for a historic no loss in the regular season and keeping open the possibility of not losing a single game in a season should have been a no brainer. From a purely marketing perspective, it would have earned the franchise millions of dollars. It would have brought the fans closer to the franchise. And most importantly, it would have helped Manning leave a permenant imprint in the annals of football history. From a more pratical perspective, it would have also helped every player to be on the edge. The competetive instincts of every player in the team would have been flowing and it would have aided in Indy winning the super bowl. The only time Indy won the super bowl, it was the defense that carried the day. Matched against a marauding KC line and Larry Johnson in his prime, the D came to play. They also showed up against a tough Baltimore team before Indy's offense decided to wake up. The defensive players were laughed at before the games and they came out with fire ready to play. A similar situation would have played out if Indy had stayed on the path of perfection. Additionally, the offense would be on sync since they kept playing regularly. In the current scenario, the Indy offense will struggle for timing atleast in the first half of their divisional game and we can only hope that it does not prove costly. Even though the pressure of the undefeated season has gone away, Indy will have to deal with a blood thirsty home crowd that will now boo at the first hint of adversity in games and that is actually more pressure than any.

On the flip side, the only sane argument for resting players is to keep them healthy. Football is a physical game and it does make sense from a coaching stand point to rest important players.

From my perspective, the decision to bench starters was completely wrong. The Colts erred first by misjudging their fans, They dug the hole deeper by trying to prove that the decision was the correct one. Sometimes it is best to tuck your tails between your legs and take flight and not fan more flames than necessary. Ultimately Manning is a competitor and the franchise did him a gross injustice by not letting him have a shot at history. Do not add more fuel to the fire by lecturing as if fans have no sense. Some of the explanations coming out from the organizations are best for a night at the comedy club and is a classic case of a dog chasing its tail. I love the team and adore their players but ultimately it is my ungodly fear that the Colts will not make it to the Super bowl. There are many who have spit in the face of history and none have ever lived to enjoy it.